The Middler

March 1, 2020
In a caste system based on birth order, a lowly middle child wants to matter. It's the late 21st century. Tools are mostly powered by hand, and cars are rare. Eldests--children born first in their family--are revered. Schools tout their bravery and heroism daily in compulsory chants. Then, at age 14, they go to military camp, never to be seen again. They're fighting the Quiet War, so named because their sacrifice allows everyone else to live quietly, unbothered. Eleven-year-old "Maggie-middler" doesn't think much about the war, but she wants attention. Forbidden at all costs from interacting with those who live outside the town limits ("shame upon the wanderers," says the chant), Maggie makes friends with a wanderer girl anyway--then decides to turn the girl's father in to the mayor. Debut novelist Applebaum's prose sings. Forbidden air outside the town's boundary carries the scent "of crisp, red apples" even though there are no apple trees nearby. Trios of alliterated adjectives shift as Maggie's awareness grows: Wanderers are "Dirty. Dangerous. Deceitful," but when Maggie sees one victimized, he's "Bleeding, battered, bruised." Maggie's unpredictable route to heroism involves a secret that renders moot any textual confrontation of the "eldest edict" readers might hope for, but it's nonetheless satisfying. Characters seem white by default save one family whose name hints at South Asian origins. Disability and disfigurement are depicted gently, with respect. Careful, serious, indelible. (Dystopian fiction. 9-13)

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April 1, 2020

Gr 4-6-As this compelling debut novel begins, the town of Fennis Wick is preparing to send two of their 14-year-old "eldest" off to "camp," where they join the fight in the Quiet War. The Wanderers, those who refuse to send their eldest children to war, are considered dirty, dangerous, and deceitful by the inhabitants of Fennis Wick. The town is protected from the Wanderers by a boundary that is never to be crossed. Maggie, 11, is a "middler," a middle child and therefore not considered special. As an eldest, her brother Jed is treated with the reverence reserved for firstborn. Maggie fully believes the doctrine she's been taught until she happens to meet a Wanderer girl named Una and the two become friends. Maggie toys with the idea of turning Una over to the authorities, thereby becoming a hero like Jed. Before she can do so, a series of events and conversations make Maggie question everything and everyone she has ever known. Putting her own safety aside for the greater good, Maggie emerges as a heroine whose actions affect the citizens of Fennis Wick and beyond. VERDICT This fast-moving, suspenseful dystopian novel would be a great introduction to the genre. Maggie's bravery, kindness, and loyalty are admirable. A recommended purchase.-Sara-Jo Lupo Sites, George F. Johnson Memorial Library, Endicott, NY

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March 1, 2020
Grades 4-7 Eleven-year-old Maggie lives a quiet existence in Fennis Wick as a middler, the second of three children in her family. As her older brother heads off to join an endless war, Maggie longs for similar recognition but knows she'll never leave her hometown, since no one is allowed to?other than those lucky eldest children and the supply-negotiating mayor. It's for the residents' own protection, of course, from both the war and the wanderers, a rumored band of malicious rovers. When Maggie stumbles upon a young wanderer on the outskirts of town, she hatches a plan to bring the trespasser in. But after befriending the bedraggled stranger, she's forced to question all of her beliefs about Fennis Wick. Applebaum's remarkable debut establishes an intriguing dystopia that begs to be explored. Maggie herself is excellent company, with her development being a highlight as the story reveals its twists and turns in an almost cinematic manner. Young readers will be eager to know more about Maggie's absorbing world and the mysterious wanderers beyond.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)